New here? The VC Brief explains how venture money works from the investor’s side of the table. These are the articles to read first, in order.
1. Understand what your company is worth
- How VCs value a startup: the VC method, step by step – the maths investors run before they make an offer.
- SAFEs and dilution: what you really own after they convert – why your ownership shrinks more than you expect.
2. Choose the right instrument
- Convertible notes vs SAFEs: which one should you raise on? – a side-by-side comparison with a worked example.
- Liquidation preferences, explained with a $30M exit – who gets paid first when the company is sold.
3. Protect yourself in the process
- What VCs check in due diligence (and a checklist to get ready) – what investors will ask for, so you are ready before they ask.
- Investor red flags: how to spot a fake investor before you sign – the warning signs of fake investors and advance-fee scams.
Browse by topic
- Raising money – finding investors, pitching, diligence and other kinds of funding.
- Deal terms – term sheets, SAFEs, notes and the clauses that matter.
- Valuation & dilution – pricing, cap tables and what you really own.
- After the raise – boards, investor updates and vesting.
- VC stories – the companies and world events moving venture money.
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Educational only — not investment, legal or tax advice.
